The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-12-31
ARE THRRE WILD HORSES

ARE THKRE WILD H0RSESi
At a recent meeting of the Bonn
bay Natural Historical Society
paper was read by j. H. Steele on
the subject of "Wild Horses" from
which the fol owing is taken:
"Is there such a thing as wild
horse, an aboriginal or truly wild
horse in the world now? The an
swer is more than doubtful. The
mustang of Mexico, the wild horse
of the South American pampas, the
brumbi of Australia, are all descen-
dants of the domesticated animals
introduced from Europe. The first
horse was landed in America at
Buenos Ayres in 1887. In 1880
that is, in less that fifty years
horses had spread in regions as re-
mote as Patagonia. In Australia
the diffusion of horses that have
escaped from civilization has been
quite rapid, and in 1875 it was
found necessary to shoot as many
as 1000 wild horses in the colony
of New South Wales alone. In some
parts of Australia thQ -wild horse
pest has received Legislative notice.
The wild horses tempt domesticated
horses to join them, and wild stall
lions also invade the Australian
horse runs and vitiate choice herds
i'll a most annoying manner. They
recall to the ancestral manners in
way that is always the same.
Each stallion, Mr.. Steele tells us,
has his following Of mares ranging
from few up to forty or even fifty,
and these parties may be separated
or banded together into herds OF
considerable size, even, it is said,
400 strong. The young and the
weak males remain with scanty
or even no following. The stallion
has to maintain his supremacy by
frequent combats, which especially
occur at certain seasons of the year.
The animals are suspicious in the
extreme, swift in flight, but bold in
defense with tooth and heel in
emergency. They range extensively
in search of pasture and water,
and when hard pressed by danger
and famine the herds break up.
1t is said that each troop has
a leader and implicitly obeys him.
He is the first to face danger and
give the hint to fly. When pressed
the horses form a ring, with the
mares and foals in the center, and
] defend themselves vigorously with
=. .eir heels, or they close in on their
opponent in dense masses and tram
pie him to death. 1t is distinctly
proved then, that there can be no
aboriginal or wild horse in either
America or Australia, although
there are tens of thousands of un-
owned horses. Tradition points to
Central Asia as the aboriginal abode
of the horse, and there the original
stock of wild horses may possibly
exist. Darwin's statement that no
aboriginal or truly wild horse is
known to exist must still be held
as explaining the exact position OF
this question; but, says Mr.. Steele,
we must supplement it by stating
that 1T is not certain that truly
wild horses do not exist, and, on
the whole, Mr.. Steele concludes
that the evidence is in favor of the
existence of the wild horse in Cen
trail Asia, but that we have no evi'
dence as to his pedigree in relation
to domestication. The wild horse
of the British islands is now prac.
tically the Shetland pony, but he
is not the powerful animal described
by Cesar. The domesticated ani.
NAL everywhere, however, reverte
very easily to the savage state. and
of the wild horse, SO considered
Mr.. Steele has much to tell US. His
PAGES are q walk and gallop. The
double and the center are artificial
and it is still mooted question al
to whether the wild horse ever trOts